


The Next Seven* Days

by cyanoxile (shikinami)



Series: The Little Things [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, KRTSK Fluff Week 2018, M/M, poor Ennoshita
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 14:37:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17388206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shikinami/pseuds/cyanoxile
Summary: By the end of it, Tetsurou realizes that he really,reallywants to spend the rest of his life with Kei.Or: The week where Kei fluctuates from caring mother to adorable child to amazing lover and Tetsurou decides that nobody else can snag him away.





	1. 12.17 6:08 PM [scarf sharing/firsts]

**Author's Note:**

> *plus two**  
>    
>  **three, technically
> 
> Written for the 2018 #krtskfluffweek challenge, which spanned from the 17th of December until the 25th. Drafts were originally posted on Twitter, though cleaned up and posted to AO3 for クロ月の日.
> 
> [Update 1/11 at least somewhere in the US lol] Unbetad at the moment, but will be in the (insert arbitrary date here)!
> 
> By the way, chapter 5 is the only reason why this whole fic is rated E. All the other chapters are rated G so you can skip that if you just want the wholesome fluff.

“Huh.”

Tetsurou finds Kei at the bottom of the stairs of his office building, several bags in hand.

“I was around the area,” Kei grumbles, “I sent you a message.”

Eyes narrowed, Tetsurou fishes out his phone, and sure enough there was an unread message from Kei. _Gonna buy some stuff at Jiyuugaoka. Dinner after your shift?_

The suspicious look turns sheepish, and Tetsurou throws Kei a lopsided smile. “Missed that text, sorry. Told you to just call if it’s important.”

Kei rolls his eyes. “It wasn’t. You just need to put your phone on vibrate instead of silent, like a normal person.”

Tetsurou purses his lips, but steps forward anyway and just eyes the bags Kei carries. “Need help with that?”

He’s met with a slight shake of the head. “No need, thanks. Where’s a good place to eat at?”

“Hm.” Tetsurou pulls his collar further up and lets out a breath, fogging the cold air, then shoves his hands into his coat pockets. “There’s a nice ramen place about five blocks from here.” He gestures his head to the left.

Kei nods and starts walking, Tetsurou trailing after him. “Cold, huh?” he snickers.

“Just forgot my scarf upstairs, is all,” Tetsurou sniffs, refusing to dignify that statement with a proper response.

“Idiot,” Kei sighs. “Hold these for a bit.” He hands some bags over to free a hand, then unloops his thick scarf and passes it to Tetsurou. “There.” He takes the bags back right away.

Tetsurou blankly looks at the scarf for a moment. “Oh. Thanks.” Frowns. “Aren’t _you_ cold?” he asks, but wraps the wide scarf around his neck anyway, just a bit over his chin. It smells of their citrus detergent and faintly of sandalwood, and he valiantly reminds himself not to inhale Kei’s scent like a creep. Not when they’re still outside. But he fails, and takes a deep breath anyway.

Kei’s nose wrinkles, then he shakes his head. “This isn’t too cold for me. Plus, I’m dressed properly.”

“I just forgot my scarf…” Tetsurou mutters with a pout, tugging the scarf up and letting his face sink further into it.

The side of Kei’s mouth quirks slightly, no doubt holding a smart quip. He glares and rolls his eyes, and Kei chuckles instead.

“You didn’t get lost then?” Tetsurou attempts a change in subject, “Thought you were gonna do your shopping later.”

“I had time. My last class got cancelled so I’ve been around since...” Kei stretches out an arm and glances at his wristwatch. “4 hours ago. Thought it’d be good to do some shopping then.” He sighs, eyes wandering, and a soft blush blooms on his cheeks. “Went around circles for an hour maybe, trying to find this place. At least I didn’t have to wait long.”

Tetsurou raises an eyebrow, then grins. “True. Not too shabby for your first time visit.”

“I hate crowded places, you know that,” Kei snipes back, brushing impatiently at his flushing face in lieu of hiding behind the big scarf that now sits comfortably on Tetsurou’s shoulders. “And the trains get confusing.”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks for coming all the way out here.”

There aren’t too many people around, Tetsurou notices, so he dives in for a nice little peck on Kei’s cheek. Startled, Kei stops in his tracks, and Tetsurou laughs at his ear.

“C’mon, I’m starving,” Tetsurou admonishes, and pushes at his back until he finally moves.


	2. 12.18 12:31 AM [late night walks/stargazing]

A shrill, ringing sound cuts through the apartment, startling Tetsurou awake and almost landing face first on the floor. With a groan, he gets up from the sofa and grabs his phone. He lets out a relieved breath when he sees who’s calling.

“Hello? Kei?”

“ _Hey, I missed the last train so I might just stay out tonight. Sorry for the late notice, Kuroo-san._ ”

“No need to apologize, dummy.” Tetsurou glances at the wall clock—half past midnight, it says—and chews at his lip. It’s been almost 5 hours since Kei was frantically called by his thesis group mates. Tetsurou’s just thankful he was able to enjoy some warm ramen before tending to the emergency.

“You have a friend you can stay over with there?”

“ _Not sure._ ” Pause. “ _But I could probably ask—_ ”

“Nope. If you knew anyone you could stay with, you’d be calling from their place already. I could get you a taxi instead?”

“ _No! No, it’s out of my budget for the week. Maybe a hostel..._ ”

“Mm, that’s just as expensive, if not more.” Tetsurou chuckles. “You’re tired, you can’t even think straight.”

He could almost hear Kei’s smile at the end of the other line. “ _…well._ ”

Tetsurou can’t help but smile too. “How about I just fetch you, yeah?”

A longer pause.

Tetsurou grins. “I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”

* * *

Kei sits on one of the benches by the station, back hunched and face glued to his phone. As Tetsurou’s bike screeches to a halt in front of him, he jolts upwards, eyes wild as he looks up.

Tetsurou couldn’t love this kid more even if he tried.

“I knew I should’ve just gotten you a taxi.”

Kei glares at him, but the menacing effect is wiped off with an unceremonious yawn. “I know it’s possible to get home by foot. I just didn’t know how.”

Tetsurou laughs, and gets off his bike, offering a hand to Kei. “Then you should’ve told that to me straight and asked me to accompany you, instead of threatening me that you’ll be staying out.”

Sometimes it rankles that Kei hates getting to the point when he wants to ask for something. Most of the time, Tetsurou’s just far too amused watching his boyfriend’s cunning, roundabout ways to express what he wants. He’s not really complaining, though. Kei’s be learning to be more honest these past few months. Or attempting to, anyway.

Kei takes his hand and rights himself up. “Wasn’t threatening you,” he mumbles.

Hands over the bike handle, Tetsurou manoeuvrers the bike so it’ll be easier to push when they walk. He glances back at Kei once he got his bearings. “Well, shall we?”

“Lead the way.”

* * *

Only the creaking metal of the bike’s wheels and quiet footsteps fill the air. The dim lights barely keep the streets illuminated, but just being next to Kei makes Tetsurou feel safe.

“It really is getting colder now,” Tetsurou says instead, clearing his throat. Stupid temperature, which isn’t even low enough to do much for his heating cheeks.

“Tokyo boy,” Kei snorts. “It’s much colder than this in Sendai.”

“Forgot that you’re built for the cold, ice prince,” Tetsurou huffs. At least Kei is oblivious to his embarrassment.

Kei snorts again, then keeps quiet for a while. Another wide, audible yawn breaks, and he throws his head back a little.

“Are stars always this hard to see here?”

Tetsurou looks up, then shrugs. “Probably. Light pollution and all that. If you go to the borders, maybe nearer Saitama or Yokohama, you’ll see the stars better.”

“I see,” Kei says with a nod. “Well, when I bring you to my home town, we’ll go stargazing properly. We can even do it from my room. No need to travel elsewhere.”

Tetsurou blinks and looks at Kei, who’s still looking up the sky with a sour, sleepy look on his face. If he felt his heart doing flips earlier, it’s probably doing some breakdance right now. He stops, then lets out a small laugh.

“Sure, we’ll do that. But you’re really tired now,” he sighs, “I doubt you’ll have the coherence to continue walking. Since we’re past the police box already, let’s just get you on this and ride home.” He taps on the metal back seat.

Kei stops then looks back, nodding absently. He waits for Tetsurou to get on first before settling himself behind.

“Good?”

Kei replies by falling forward against Tetsurou’s back and loosely wrapping his arms around his waist.

Tetsurou feels his face flush again, deeper than earlier. Which is a good thing, especially with the December night air whipping against his skin as he pedals home.


	3. 12.19 8:52 PM [pictures/cuddling]

Elbow propped on the seat of the sofa, Tetsurou watches Kei from the corner of his eye. The laptop light is reflected in Kei’s glasses so his aren’t seen, but his eyebrows are furrowed and his lips are pressed to a thin line. It’s been a while since he’s typed on the keyboard, most probably stuck on some problem or staring at a message from someone with something he deems stupid. Tetsurou has long since learned not to ask whenever Kei gets like this, because both scenarios just make Kei more acerbic. It’s always better for the two of them when Tetsurou keeps his mouth shut or Kei opens his. Or if Tetsurou manages to distract Kei somehow. Whatever it was, Tetsurou decided to lower the television volume to help Kei concentrate.

Sure enough, the answer pops up on his phone. With a grin, Tetsurou raises his head, but Kei is already standing up, sighing heavily. Lips pursing, Tetsurou crawls up the sofa and takes a peek at Kei’s computer. It displays a 3D model and some indecipherable computer code against a dark background. The first one, then.

Kei comes back with a bottle of orange juice and plops down on the other side of the sofa, with his laptop between him and Tetsurou, face souring even more after taking a sip.

“Kei, look at this,” Tetsurou attempts, gesturing to his phone. Kei pulls the laptop atop his legs and thankfully scoots closer. He continues, “My sister sent me a photo of her new dog.”

It was a cute, brown little dachshund with huge black eyes.

“I thought you were strictly a cat household in the Kuroo family?” Kei raises a brow and slides even closer, his expression giving way to a more neutral one.

Tetsurou rejoices inwardly and swipes at his phone for more pictures, putting an arm behind Kei.

“Apparently this dog was about to be put down at the shelter, and her friend who volunteered there asked if she could take him in. Nobody else could, apparently. But Ayumi was sold when she learned that Betty’s socialized with cats.”

“Betty?”

“That’s what she calls the dog,” Tetsurou shrugs. “Anyway she says we should come swing by on Sunday, if only to see Betty terrorize Shiron and Kuron. Do you wanna?”

A smile finally breaks on Kei’s face, and Tetsurou lets out a quiet breath.

“Sure, that sounds good.” Kei pushes his glasses up, cricks his neck, and flexes his fingers before turning back to his computer.

Tetsurou grins. “At least you don’t need to give me that longing look when you want to pet a dog you see down the street, yeah?”

Kei shoots him a glare, but the effect is ruined with the way he’s trying not to smile. Tetsurou laughs.

“Shut up, you.” He sets his fingers on the keyboard and types away. The sound of keys clacking is louder than the television now, so Tetsurou switches through the channels until he sees a foreign film with subtitles.

Absently, he pulls Kei by the shoulder so that he could lean on his chest. Kei moves willingly—or just as absently—and leans backwards so that his head is propped against Tetsurou’s shoulder, feet on top of the low coffee table.

Tetsurou presses a kiss on the side of Kei’s head, letting himself be engrossed by the film and Kei be focused on his work.


	4. 12.20 10:34 PM [shopping/cooking]

“I’m home!”

Kei looks up from the bento boxes he’s fixing, finding a sluggish Tetsurou struggling to get his shoes and neck tie off at the same time.

“Welcome home,” he greets back, eyes sliding to the small clock sitting on top of the makeshift kitchen counter. 22:34, it says. He scoots forward, closer to the counter, to let his boyfriend pass through the narrow hallway.

Tetsurou pecks his cheek, and instead lets his hand linger on Kei’s waist. “Hmm, what’s this?”

“Lunch for tomorrow. Didn’t feel particularly enthusiastic about thesis today so I did the groceries and cooked curry. Made a bit too much so if you want, you can have some.”

Kei startles when Tetsurou just drops his forehead to his shoulder. “Crap, forgot it was my turn this week,” he groans. “Promise I won’t forget next week.” After pressing his lips to Kei’s shoulder, he drags himself over to the sofa.

As he very well should; that was their system, after all. They took turns who did household chores every week. Kei just guessed Tetsurou won’t be able to do it tonight, not when there was apparently some major screw up at work that he needed to fix right away. And there were just some things they’ve ran out of already, so Kei decided to just buy them.

If Kei took his time buying more cooking ingredients necessary due to feeling restless that his boyfriend is still out working, said boyfriend really didn’t have to know.

Tetsurou sighs loudly as he sprawls himself on the sofa, not even bothering to properly take off his clothes any more—tie hanging loose over his unbuttoned shirt, arm thrown over his eyes. He looks every bit tired, and Kei feels guilty that he’d been sulking all night. It’s not Tetsurou’s fault that he had to stay back in the office and miss having to buy the groceries, after all.

After a while, Tetsurou sits up. “Can I have a nice big plate of curry then, please?” He pouts at Kei, look not unlike a cute dog begging for scraps on the street. “I only had cup ramen for dinner, it was so unsatisfying...”

Kei sighs and purses his lips, staring at the ridiculous wobbling bottom lip act. He doesn’t understand how Tetsurou can still be so nice and sweet even after a long, evidently unpleasant day. Yet there he is, being too cute for a man his age.

“You won’t be able to fall asleep easily if you eat too much,” Kei admonishes half-heartedly.

“It’s okay! I told my teammates that I’m coming in after lunch since they dragged me to an unplanned, unpaid overtime for a mistake that’s not mine.”

Kei narrows his eyes. “Fine. Change your clothes properly, then.”

“Yay!” Tetsurou practically jumps from the sofa and heads over to the closet. “Curry! Curry!”

Shaking his head, Kei tucks the bento boxes in the fridge and starts to prepare his boyfriend’s dinner.

* * *

When Kei gets out of the bathroom, everything had already been taken care of—dishes washed, the coffee table wiped, and the lights off (except the night lamp on the side table). Tetsurou is settled by the foot of the sofa, hunched over his iPad.

“Thanks for cleaning up, but you didn’t have to,” Kei says, rubbing at his earlobe.

“Nonsense, you gave a good end to my otherwise crappy day so it’s the least I can do,” Tetsurou replies, not even looking up. “Besides, growing boys who have classes tomorrow need all the rest, so chop chop, hurry to bed already.”

Good thing it’s dark and Tetsurou wasn’t looking, otherwise he would’ve noticed the ugly blush on Kei’s cheeks. “Shut your mouth,” he retorts, but makes his way to the bed and gets under the covers anyway. “Don’t fall asleep on the tub, then.”

“‘Course not. Gonna be busy kicking arse.” Tetsurou gets up and heads to the bathroom, still highly engrossed on his game. “Night, Kei.”

Kei closes his eyes and allows himself a small smile. “Good night, Tetsurou-san.”


	5. 12.21 7:17 AM [freckles/lazy mornings]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only NSFW chapter; if you skip this one, the whole fic stays rated G.

The skin on Tetsurou’s back is littered with tiny little brown dots. Kei loves dragging his fingers across them—they were like constellations he could reach. Tetsurou’s sign, Scorpio, lies just under his scapula, and Kei’s, Libra, right at the top of his spine. They’re all just random freckles, Kei knows, and there’s no point in believing in unscientific, divinatory nonsense. But it calms his heart all the same, Kei’s sign marked on Tetsurou’s skin; a sentiment that he would take to the grave.

A finger smooths over Libra—the pattern like a slanted house that a child drew. Tetsurou doesn’t flinch at the touch, as he’s never been particularly sensitive in that area, so Kei continues tracing the pattern in the dimness of their room. It won’t be long until Tetsurou stirs, and Kei sighs, pressing closer.

Tetsurou’s phone alarm starts, its familiar chime progressively ringing louder, noise filling the room. Kei doesn’t move to silence it, nor does he stop his hands from caressing Tetsurou’s back, now sliding down his sides.

“Fuck,” Tetsurou groans as he reaches to the bedside table, arm long enough to reach without separating with Kei at all. Kei chuckles when he mutters into the pillow, something along the lines of _not this shit again_. Tetsurou hates it when his alarm went off on his rest days, but he very rarely remembers to cancel it just before he sleeps. Kei could’ve done it for him, but he had other plans in mind.

“Shh, sleepyhead,” Kei whispers against Tetsurou’s neck before planting an open-mouthed kiss there, hand trailing down the side of his jogger-clad thighs. “You’ve got plenty of time to rest.”

Tetsurou’s answering groan is more agreeable this time, and Kei is delighted to note that his lower half agrees too. Kei presses down through the soft cloth, gently at first, savouring the head and rising hardness there. His eyes close, fingers growing insistent, and he smiles when he hears the clatter of Tetsurou’s phone on the table. At least the annoying ringing has ceased.

“Kei,” Tetsurou whispers, his voice coming out more as a hitch, clutching tight onto Kei’s free hand. Kei laces their fingers together, while his other hand dances at the top of Tetsurou’s waistband.

“Tetsu,” he says quietly into Tetsurou’s ear, sighing out the name. Gooseflesh rise on Tetsurou’s skin where they touch, and Kei regrets the fact that he’s wearing a shirt. Tetsurou loves it when Kei speaks close to his ear, since Kei normally isn’t a very vocal person when it comes to this. Plus, his ear is incredibly sensitive. Kei lets out a warm, throaty chuckle, then slowly drags his tongue on the spot under his ear to the back of it. Tetsurou moans and impatiently yanks his joggers down for better access.

“Thank you, Tetsu.” Kei nibbles at the shell of Tetsurou’s ear, while his hand basks in the naked warmth between those strong legs. He doesn’t call Tetsurou ‘Tetsu’ in polite company—the name only reserved at times like this, when they’re in their own world together. Kei likes the idea of having something for his boyfriend’s ears only, insisting to call him by his surname in public. He claims it’s out of respect, despite everybody else having called him that diminutive at some point or another. But they don’t say it like Kei says it, and Tetsurou indulges him in this out bout of possessiveness. Enjoys it immensely, even. Sometimes Kei slips, unintentionally or otherwise, and Tetsurou stiffens ever so slightly, as if it were a Pavlovian response.

Just like he is now, as Kei wraps long, delicate fingers around him, squeezing where it’s pleasurable, making him cry out. Kei presses forward, the front of his boxers sliding in a leisurely pace against Tetsurou’s naked cheeks, matching the rhythm of his hand and hips.

“Fuck, Kei, you feel so good...” Tetsurou trails out in a moan that he smothers by biting into the pillow. Kei chuckles against his ear, relishing in the way that Tetsurou’s hips move to the rhythm of his arm, the way his fingers close on tight into his palms.

“Do I?” Kei says, dragging his teeth on the side of Tetsurou’s neck and further down, to where the freckles are, tasting them—the flavour salty and sweet in his tongue. He takes a bite at Libra and Tetsurou arches, pressing them together impossibly close and grinding, until he’s moaning into Tetsurou’s skin.

Tetsurou drips, drips even more when Kei moans into his into his ear instead and _thrusts_ , and _strokes_ , and _tightens_. Another deep groan is pressed into the pillow, and his hand on Kei’s arse clutches for dear life as he fucks into Kei’s merciless fist.

“You’re so close,” Kei whispers wetly, voice deceptively sweet, and Tetsurou whines. “On my hand, Tetsu, please...”

Right on cue Tetsurou spills, with Kei diligently catching all of it with a capable hand, squeezing the head, milking it for all it’s worth. Tetsurou sags forward, trapping Kei’s arm.

Kei gives Tetsurou some reprieve while they catch their breath, by keeping his sticky hand where it was and not playing with his boyfriend’s sensitivity. He loves doing that, but today Tetsurou needs the rest more, and he’d rather him sleep the rest of his free time off than tire him out. Besides, Kei needs to get up in a few minutes anyway, and he could do with a long, lazy wank too.

Once Tetsurou’s breathing has stabilized, he shuffles and lays on his back, pulling the covers higher. Kei takes to moment to stand up, then wipes his hand and bins the dirty tissue. He looks down at his boyfriend who looks like the cat who ate the canary, eyes closed and mouth stretched in a stupidly blissful smile. It’s adorable, really, and predictable—Tetsurou’s always looked like that after a particularly good round. At least Kei knows that his hard-working boyfriend will be able to get the restful couple of hours that he deserves.

Kei smiles, and leans down to press his lips on Tetsurou’s forehead, where sweat was starting to cool. “There’s some soy bread in the fridge if you get hungry later,” he says, brushing at Tetsurou’s forehead.

“Mm. What time is it?”

“Around five to ei—!”

Tetsurou yanks _hard_ , toppling Kei over him. “Take your boxers off and sit on my face.”

Kei groans low in his throat at his boyfriend’s words, compelled to obey. He quickly discards his boxers to the floor and straddles Tetsurou’s chest, willing his flaming cheeks to cool it a little. Impossible, though—not with the intensity of Tetsurou’s gaze, which seemed to probe him from inside out.

“Good boy,” Tetsurou purrs, dragging his nails up and down Kei’s thighs, and slides his tongue out as if it were a snake that’s found its prey. Kei grabs at the headboard in fear of falling over—a distinct possibility, especially with Tetsurou deviously licking at him like that, watching him with ravenous, slitted eyes.

Tetsurou’s hands trail up under his shirt, feeling his abdomen quiver, _making_ him quiver as he continues dragging his nails over the sensitive skin. Kei bucks forward with a moan when the hands travel further up to his chest, scratching ever so gently over tightly-wound nubs, and Tetsurou takes the opportunity to suck Kei in.

 _Fuck_. There’s nothing more satisfying than Tetsurou’s mouth—with its softness and warmth and—“Oh _fuck!_ ”—that sinful, sinful tongue, reducing Kei to nothing more than obscene incoherencies, nothing more than a helpless shell rocking back and forth to the whims of his body.

Tetsurou’s eyes are closed now, with his lips securely wrapped around Kei, one hand on the small of Kei’s back and the other holding him by the base, touch proprietary and incendiary. Kei wouldn't be able to escape his grasp even if he wanted to. The idea of being someone else’s captive holds very little appeal to Kei, but Tetsurou… Tetsurou makes him _like_ it. And Kei knows that Tetsurou wouldn’t take advantage of this power, wouldn't even dream of thinking about it. For Kei, Tetsurou is a safe place, even if he is an all-consuming, all-destroying piece of—

“ _Fuck!_ ” Kei screams his release into Tetsurou’s throat, who hungrily laps at and swallows him, like he couldn't get enough of Kei’s taste.

Kei’s palms sting, with sweat and the force of how he squeezed the headboard, but he’s not sure if his legs can support him yet so he doesn’t let go. He opens his eyes, just in time to see sweat drops fall from his chin to Tetsurou’s hair.

And there Tetsurou is, sprawled on his back in all his sleepy glory, looking up at Kei with a smile that rivals his usual smug one, which is worth a million smug points already.

“ _Ugh_ , I hate you,” Kei says, but bends down to kiss his stupidly smug boyfriend on the forehead again anyway, then carefully gets off the still-heaving chest.

Tetsurou merely smirks. “Love you too, Kei.” Eyes closing, he kisses at what he could reach, which happens to be Kei’s hairy calf.

With a deep breath, Kei sits down on the bed, willing his legs to start working properly again. “Want me to lower the AC?”

Tetsurou nods and burrows his face into his pillow, but then grabs at Kei’s shirt. “Give. I’ll be cold.”

Kei purses his lips but pulls his shirt off anyway, handing it over. Without opening his eyes, Tetsurou puts on Kei’s shirt and pulls up his joggers. He stretches widely, then curls into the bed, exactly like a cat would. Kei gropes at the side table for the AC remote and lowers the temperature, before fixing the duvet over him.

“G’night Kei.”

“Night, Tetsurou-san.”

Kei takes one last look at his ridiculous boyfriend, before picking up his boxers and hauling his bare-naked bottom to the shower.


	6. 12.22 11:33 PM [movies/sleep talking]

“I hate this.”

Kei stops carding his fingers through Tetsurou’s hair, feeling his heart jump a little. Was there something he did wrong or is it just his boyfriend’s bad mood? When Tetsurou came through the door, he looked more angry than tired, but at least seeming to calm upon seeing Kei. He’d demanded Kei to drop what he’s doing and let him lay his head for a while. Kei immediately capitulated, of course, and set his laptop away. He’s not sure he could’ve done anything to sour Tetsurou’s mood further in that short span of time.

“What… exactly do you mean?”

Tetsurou turns on his side and taps Kei’s wrist, urging him to continue. “Getting called to the office on a Saturday afternoon to clean up somebody’s mess. It’s starting to reach the limits of my patience,” he sighs. “Not as if I could say no to my supervisor. Just sucks that it had to eat up date night.”

Kei smiles and resumes threading through soft, black strands. “Tetsurou-san, I don’t mind missing one date night, you know. Besides, I’ve thesis.” He peers down at his boyfriend, whose eyes are closed and his mouth pulled to a frown. “Do you want to talk about it, though? The work thing?”

Tetsurou shakes his head. “I just hate it when my plans are ruined for dumb reasons.” He blows a raspberry, then slides his arm away and looks up at Kei. “I’m done whining for tonight. Distract me?”

Kei hums and massages at Tetsurou’s scalp. A pleased purr rumbles from his chest, but after a while Tetsurou closes his eyes and frowns. Kei can’t fathom what about today exactly upsets his boyfriend that much, but he supposes sex isn’t quite an adequate answer. Tetsurou didn’t get much sleep last night too, and he looks far too tired and sad to enjoy any strenuous activities.

“Oh! I’ve got just the thing.” Kei gently pushes Tetsurou’s head off his lap and heads to the kitchen.

“Hm?” Tetsurou peeks from behind the armrest, and immediately brightens when Kei comes back with 3 small boxes from their favourite cake shop. “Kei! You should’ve greeted me with this when I got home!”

Kei laughs and sets the boxes down on the coffee table. “It’s supposed to be for when we visit your sister tomorrow, but I think you need it more now.”

He could practically see Tetsurou drool as he greedily takes the cakes out of their boxes, revealing blueberry cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, and black forest. Usually it’s Kei who has a sweet tooth, especially when strawberry shortcake is concerned, but Tetsurou’s is worse at certain times. He could go months without eating anything sweet, but when the stars are aligned, he could definitely tear through two whole cakes—and not just slices, too—within a day.

It appears that Tetsurou does plan to devour all three now. “Save some for your sister,” Kei warns.

Tetsurou looks at him with a truly ridiculous pout. Kei just rolls his eyes, turning to fetch utensils, bottled tea, and water. He settles himself at the foot of the sofa as Tetsurou turns to the television and flicks through Netflix.

“Land of the Lost okay?”

Kei nods and forks himself a small slice of the strawberry shortcake.

* * *

“Nyunffrf.”

Kei looks up from his monitor, leaning sideways. “What was that?”

He waits a few beats before looking back, but only finds Tetsurou curled up and face down on the sofa. He must’ve drifted off in the middle of the film. Letting out a small breath, he sets his laptop aside and puts away the leftovers and empty bottles. They didn’t wolf down all the cakes, surprisingly, and even made sure there’s enough for tomorrow’s visit. Kei could only hope that Tetsurou’s sister won’t mind.

When Kei returns, Tetsurou is on his back, mouth hanging wide and hand on his belly in mid-scratch. He looks ridiculous, undignified, and still unfairly handsome. Kei sometimes wonders why Tetsurou decided to settle with him, when he could easily take a pick from all the men and women who vie for his attentions.

Well. There’s really no point in contemplating such things. Kei sighs and sits back on the floor, ready to drown his more morose thoughts with some annoying code troubleshooting.

“Nyunfair.”

Kei looks back, brows furrowing. “Hm?”

“Sisht’s g’na love y’ev’n more.” Snuffles.

“What?”

“’n she’ll w’na adopt y’too.” Nods. “Mm.” Then Tetsurou turns, burrowing his face into the cushions.

Kei narrows his eyes and waits. When there doesn’t seem to be any forthcoming comments, he turns back to his work, unable to reign in the smile on his face.


	7. 12.23 12:19 PM [pet/meet the family]

“We have arrived, little sister!” Tetsurou closes the door behind him, letting Kei in through the narrow hallway first.

“Excuse me for intruding.”

An excited yup rings from upstairs, and then loud footsteps follow.

“Niichan! Kei-niichan!” Ayumi greets from the top of the staircase—in her arms an adorable dachshund squirming desperately to get away and greet the newcomers. “Get up here before Betty injures herself!”

Kei’s hand twitches slightly when Betty lurches forward and falls almost. Tetsurou laughs, and pushes Kei up the stairs.

“What’s for lunch? We got you some leftover cake for dessert.”

“Leftovers? Stingy! I got Mum to make you some glorious nabe!”

“Stop complaining, at least we got you something!” Tetsurou laughs.

“Er...” Kei stops at the last step, and Tetsurou peeks from behind his shoulders.

“Oh crap.”

There on the couch is his dad reading the paper, and further back into the kitchen is his mum busy over the stove top. He frowns at his sister, who sits beside their dad and looks at him with a wide, unapologetic grin.

“Ayumi! Thought Mum and Da had plans today!” he hisses.

His dad inclines his head somewhat and gives him a sly, sideways look. Ayumi raises her head from behind the couch as she nuzzles Betty. “They did! Their plan is to have lunch with their first born who never visits!”

“Ayumi, stop teasing your brother like that,” his mum says, tone patient but stern, as she starts bringing out the dishes. “Sorry about that, Kei-kun. We thought you and Tecchan know we’re home.”

Kei unfreezes and steps forward. “No, it’s fine Mrs. Kuroo, sorry to bother you. We’d have brought full cakes if we knew you were home. Um. Hello, Mr. Kuroo.”

His dad sets the paper away and smiles widely at him. “Hey, no need to be so formal, Kei-kun. Ayumi! Help Mum at the table.”

“But Dad—!”

“And let them play with Betty now. They came for her, after all.”

The tips of Kei’s ears go a brilliant shade of red.

“Da!” Tetsurou whines, “It’s your daughter’s fault!”

Ayumi exchanges Betty with the eco bag Kei was holding, then winks at him. “Sorry Kei-niichan, parental units wanted to invite you both and this tosser over here has been dragging his feet about it for the longest time.”

Tetsurou gives her a knuckle on the head, though Kei just laughs and mutters a small _no worries_ , completely distracted by the dachshund snuffling against his chest.

“You meddlesome brat,” Tetsurou glares. Ayumi slides out of reach and sticks a tongue at him. He sighs, and turns to Kei. “Hey, sorry about all of this...”

Kei smiles, a small blush staining his cheeks, and Tetsurou feels lighter. “It’s fine. You didn’t know either.”

“Oi, you two!” his dad says, “Don’t just stand there, come in and take a seat!”

They come forward and settle on the sofa, busying themselves with an excited dog on their laps.

* * *

Tetsurou’s always been transparent to his parents about him dating Kei, just that it’s not something they talk about. In fact, it was just mentioned in passing on the family group chat a couple of years back:

_Can’t drop by this Sunday, I have a date._

_You have a girlfriend now???_

_Boyfriend…_

_Your room mate?_

_Yeah…_

_Okay, have fun! Just visit when you can then!_

After that, he starts talking to Ayumi about Kei more. This is probably why the subject of him dating a guy has never come up at all—she must’ve been updating them about it. Which, to be frank, is something to be thankful for. He’s not really sure how to breach the topic to his parents, nor is he truly comfortable doing so. Not even if he’s pretty sure they won’t be anything but open and supportive.

More than that, he’s not really sure how Kei would react to any of it. As far as he knows, Kei’s folks still think of him as just his friend and room mate. If Tetsurou himself was feeling iffy talking about his relationship to his parents who already know about it, then it’s probably worse for Kei. So of course the two of them don’t talk about meeting each other’s parents.

Tetsurou’s folks have indeed been trying to invite him and Kei for quite some time, in much more subtle ways. Like an offhand comment from his mum (“ _Are you and Kei-kun eating well? How about you come over dinner?_ ”) or his dad (“ _Mum cooked saury last night, you and Kei-kun should have some._ ”) Tetsurou just chooses to ignore them, and is decided to ignore them until the time Kei opens up about the subject. He finds it amusing that his parents always try to lure him with food, though.

His eyes slide to Kei, who’s managed to relax even when his mum and dad loop him into conversation with personal questions. It’s always amazing to see how his parents make people comfortable. He remembers Kenma, who has never been not anxious when adults are around when they were younger, chat animatedly to his parents whenever he came over to their house.

Tetsurou feels a bit stupid now for thinking this meeting could ever go wrong. Probably just Kei’s paranoia rubbing off on him. He looks up to find his devil sister grinning at him.

“I made fruit salad, would either care of you have some?” his mum starts. “It has strawberries. Ayumi says you’re partial to them, Kei-kun.”

Kei scratches his ear and nods. “You’re too kind, Mrs. Kuroo.”

“My! Aren’t you the polite one. Why aren’t you that polite, Tecchan?”

Tetsurou splutters and gears up for a retort, but his mum continues, “This is all your genes, Ryousuke-san.”

His dad scoffs, “It’s your genes too.”

Kei chuckles beside him quietly. “They’re cute,” he whispers as Tetsurou’s parents start bickering. “And this is very nice.”

Tetsurou smiles as Kei’s warm hand squeezes lightly at his thigh. “Yeah, it really is.”

* * *

Betty licks at Tetsurou’s jaw, almost as if she knows they’re leaving already and she’s just saying goodbye.

“Don’t hesitate to visit whenever you feel like it, okay Kei-kun?” His mum hands over some leftover fruit salad and nabe.

Kei takes them and bows. “Of course, Mrs. Kuroo. Thank you for having us.”

Ayumi snickers. “Careful, Kei-niichan. You’ll have Mum wanting to adopt you to the family.”

His dad laughs and pats at Kei’s shoulder. “Well, we’d like to experience have a proper and responsible child for once. Won’t we dear?”

“Hey!” both Tetsurou and Ayumi protest, but their mum just laughs. Tetsurou hands Betty over to his sister and usher’s Kei towards the stairs.

“Stop scaring Kei with your jokes already! We’re going!” Tetsurou huffs.

“Take care!” his family choruses, and he and Kei turn to leave.

They stay quiet on the way to the station.

If Tetsurou’s being honest with himself, he’s equal parts giddy and nervous. Today feels like a tacit approval from his parents with having Kei as his partner, if the digs about having him in the family is any indication. Their family dynamic was like that, after all—never saying anything outright, but expressing through jokes and subtle actions. He chews on his bottom lip and sneaks a glance at Kei.

“I wouldn’t mind if we visited your family more often,” Kei says suddenly in a smug tone, pleased to catch Tetsurou in the act. He grins as Tetsurou starts to flush.

“Bastard,” Tetsurou mutters, shoving lightly at Kei’s arm with his shoulder. “That _’_ s embarrassing enough as it is.”

“Hm. I didn’t get to see Shiron and Kuron though, so maybe we can swing by again next week,” Kei teases and Tetsurou groans. “Besides, your parents love me.”

Tetsurou heaves out a long-suffering sigh. “Wanker. You’re lucky I like you.” Kei’s grin widens all the more.

Maybe it’s not a bad idea to adopt Kei into the family, after all—he fits right in perfectly.


	8. 12.24 7:35 PM [hiccups/tickles]

_Hic!_

Tetsurou startles at the sound and whips his head towards the room, eyes narrowing. He sets down the knife he’s holding over the counter, trying to remember if he has any pest repellent or something in the house. Doubtful that a mouse actually got into their unit, but one never knows with these older buildings.

He holds his breath, and then— _hic!_

“ _Crap_ ,” Kei groans, slumping over the kotatsu. “Tetsurou-san, could you hand me a glass of— _hic!_ ”

Tetsurou blinks, then laughs. “I just realized, this is the first time I’ve heard you hiccough in the three years we’ve shared this apartment.” He obliges anyway and brings Kei a carafe of water from the fridge.

Even with his ears burning and shoulders shaking from a badly concealed hiccough, Kei manages to shoot him a truly menacing glare. “Shut your trap,” he hisses, and snatches the carafe, chugging down on it without regard for spills. With a sigh, he pushes the carafe back to Tetsurou’s hands. “That should do the— _hic!_ ”

Tetsurou settles himself on the sofa, just behind Kei. “Too bad we don’t have eggs. They say drinking egg yolks help with that.”

Kei turns, face crumpled and looks incredulously at him, but the effect is ruined with another hiccough.

Tetsurou shrugs. “Well, there is one other thing...” he leans forward, setting the carafe down on the floor, propping his elbows on his thighs.

“What?”

A wide grin spreads over Tetsurou’s mouth as he pounces on Kei, hands going underneath his shirt and tickling him mercilessly. Kei thrashes, howls and laughs, attempting to crawl away and knocking the carafe down. Tetsurou laughs and sets the water upright, leaning back against the sofa when Kei manages to escape.

“Idiot!” Kei huffs, pushing himself against the edge of the bed, the farthest he could get from Tetsurou without leaving the kotatsu. “What was that for?”

“Element of surprise,” Tetsurou grins cheekily and stands up, stretching upwards as he makes his way back to the kitchen. “It’s gone now, isn’t it?”

Kei purses his lips and keeps silent for a while.

“Huh. It is.”

Tetsurou chuckles and takes his position in front of the counter again, but then remembers something. “By the way, do you want to go out tomorrow? Christmas day and all.”

Kei cups a cheek with his hand and wrinkles his nose. “No way, there’ll be too many people out too. Besides, I have to pack.” He purses his lips and straightens up. “How about Thursday? The crowds would've calmed down a bit by then.”

“But your train is early Friday morning, won’t going out the night before tire you out?”

Kei shrugs. “Should be fine if I’m all packed before then.”

“Okay, gotcha,” Tetsurou smiles, and goes back to chopping daikon.


	9. 12.25 9:48 PM [anniversary/proposal]

Tetsurou stretches on the sofa and steals a glance at Kei, who’s tapping a finger at the edge of his laptop. He does that every ten minutes or so, waiting for his work to compile, whatever that means. Sometimes he’d tut furiously and go back to typing whenever it finishes, but he seems mostly annoyed with the waiting. It’s amusing, though—the meticulous Tsukishima Kei does not actually think that patience is a virtue.

“Say Kei, what are your plans after graduating?” Tetsurou turns back to his phone.

The typing stops and Kei turns towards him slightly.

“I haven’t really decided,” he hums. “I don’t want to look for an office job yet or anything like that. Taking a break and going home is not an option, of course.” Tetsurou glances up, finding Kei smirking at him, and rolls his eyes—heart feeling giddy nonetheless. “So most probably continuing to a masters program, unless I find something else more interesting.”

“I see,” Tetsurou nods, and types onto the small screen.

“Why do you ask?”

Tetsurou purses his lips and keeps quiet for a few moments before answering. “Well. I’m wondering if you’d be okay if we moved to Setagaya. Our lease ends in April so… I mean, if you’re still staying at Toukoudai, maybe that’ll be more convenient for the two of us?”

“Oh. Where in Setagaya, though?”

“I’m thinking...” he looks back at his phone and swipes, “Kaminoge. Toukoudai is 15 minutes away via just the Oimachi line. My workplace is the opposite direction, but I can also bike there.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Kei nods. “You don’t like Meguro anymore?”

“Not exactly. S’just more convenient.”

“I suppose. For as long as we don’t move on our anniversary again.”

Tetsurou barks out a laugh. He remembers how the two of them thought moving in together at their anniversary would be a good symbolic gesture, but it hadn’t been enjoyable at all. By the end of the day, they were already dead tired and not in the mood to celebrate anything. To think that they didn’t even have too many belongings with them then. This time, he’d rather spend their fourth year together relaxing, thank you very much.

“‘Course not. Maybe a week or couple of days before? I’ll ask Kenma and Kou to help out again.”

“Good idea. If Sugawara-san is free then, I’ll ask him too. We did accumulate quite a lot of things over the years.”

“Yup.”

Kei’s computer pings and he turns away, shutting off everything else that’s not his work. It’s amazing—Kei’s single-minded determination. When they were younger, Tetsurou’s seen glimpses of it during their volleyball matches: the way Kei’s eyes moved to and fro when deciding on a course of action, the slightest baring of teeth. He sees it now, while Kei’s fingers fly over the keyboard, constructing things Tetsurou wouldn’t understand despite their mutual love of mathematics.

Although, that determination rarely gives away what Kei plans to do, which is also another amazing thing about him, but scary at the same time. One won’t know what Kei will do next until he does them. Four years ago, Kei didn’t say which university he’d be attending up until just a couple of days before the semester began. They were a new couple then and Tetsurou had been resigned to having a long distance relationship. All of a sudden, Kei visited him in Tokyo and asked him the route from his university to the Tokyo Institute of Technology, casually dropping that he’d be taking up mathematical and computing science there.

So it’s reasonable for Tetsurou to hold off explicitly saying how amazing he thinks Kei is, so much so that he’d be delighted if they could spend the rest of their waking days together. Not when he’s unsure how Kei would possibly react to that, anyway. Four years is quite a short time to be dating then getting engaged, after all. But they’ve gone that far together without any major incident, so it should be fine, right? Sure it’s a bit early, but if compared to their straight counterparts, this would pretty much be par for the course. Besides, he’s been in love with Kei the moment he started listening to his volleyball tips, even if his younger self didn’t realise it at the time. It’s a feeling that won’t be letting up anytime soon, if at all.

Proposing to live in Setagaya, however, where partnership certificates for same sex couples can be issued, is quite a smart action, if he does say so himself. It would definitely be easier to drop marriage-related comments, then. Hopefully by this time next year, Tetsurou would have the courage to actually ask for Kei’s hand, so to speak. Meaning he’d have to properly meet with Kei’s parents, but that’s neither here nor there…

“Ah, I just remembered.”

Tetsurou looks up and blinks, watching Kei retrieve something from the fridge. He props himself on his elbows and peers at what Kei’s carrying.

“Cake again?” he smiles, “Won’t we have gone over our cake quota for the month?” Not that Tetsurou’s complaining, of course, but Kei’s usually the one always harping on him about the sugar content of things Tetsurou brings home.

Yet another unpredictability point goes to Tsushima Kei.

“It’s Christmas, isn’t it?” Kei raises a brow and sets the cake down, taking back his spot on the floor. “That’s enough of an excuse to eat cake.”

Tetsurou drapes himself over Kei’s shoulder, opening his mouth expectantly with a cutesy _ahn_ until Kei relents and feeds him with a slice. “This is why I wanna marry you,” he says through a full mouth.

Kei grimaces, but chuckles through his nose and nuzzles Tetsurou’s cheek anyway. “If you say so.”

For now, that simple declaration would have to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toukoudai is the abbreviation for Tokyo Institute of Technology, by the way.
> 
> Also I had fun researching about trains and actual apartments here :x I need to incorporate my research in a longer fic lmao


	10. 12.29 10:09 PM [extra]

Tetsurou almost jumps from his seat when his phone vibrates from inside his front pocket. He raises a finger when Koutarou’s eyebrow rises, and fishes his phone out to answer what appears to be a Line video call from Kei.

“ _Kuroo-san!_ ” It’s Yamaguchi’s flushed face that greets him though.

“...you’re not Kei.”

“ _Obviously not!_ ”

“ _Is that Kuroo-san? Kuroo-san! Hello!_ ” Hinata’s lively voice comes through first before the screen shows the top of his spiky, orange head.

Behind him is Kageyama, face just as blank as his voice, “ _Wait, why are we calling Kuroo-san?_ ”

Yamaguchi’s face dominates the screen again, but this time he’s facing a different way. Kei sits beside him, face first onto the table with an arm over his head, only the top of it visible.

“ _Because Tsukki’s miserable without him!”_ Yamaguchi exclaims, looking way too ecstatic for his own good, “ _What have you done to our Tsukki, Kuroo-san?_ ” Kei slumps even further into the table, groaning loudly. Tetsurou chuckles to himself, hoping the sound doesn’t get through the phone.

“— _yeah, so why again?_ ” Kageyama asks, and Yamaguchi raises his eyebrows, lips pursing.

Hinata perkily pipes up, “ _Idiot! Don’t you know he and Tsukishima are dating?_ ” The screen blurs as it shows Hinata and Kageyama’s heads for a second, before going back to Yamaguchi’s grinning face and the top of Kei’s head.

Kei finally looks up, letting his displeasure known with a drunken glare at the screen. “ _You guys are so annoying_ ,” he grumbles.

Right there and then, Tetsurou wants nothing more than to tousle that blond head. Yamaguchi’s grin transforms to a belly-deep laughter.

“ _Huh, I didn’t know_ ,” Kageyama says.

“ _You don’t really pay attention to anything that’s not a volleyball, Kageyama,_ ” a voice chimes in, and the screen blurs once more to another part of the booth. It looks like Kei and his friends are in a cozy izakaya. The screen shows the Karasuno volleyball manager from when Kei played there, the Karasuno volleyball coach, and another guy whose name escapes Tetsurou.

“That Tsukki, Tetsu? How cute!” Koutarou teases, and Tetsurou glances up just in time to find the bastard’s shit-eating grin. “You’re so whipped, man.”

Tetsurou raises his middle finger behind his phone and Bokuto’s grin widens all the more.

“Shut it, Kou. It’s actually Yamaguchi.”

“Oh nice, they’re together?”

“ _Who was that, Kuroo-san? Let us see!_ ” Yamaguchi pleads, and Tetsurou rolls his eyes but obliges anyway. He scoots in his seat and turns back so he could show Koutarou and Keiji on the other side of the table across him. At least this way they wouldn’t have to endure blurry screen—not that Tetsurou expects the same courtesy anyway.

“Hey!” Koutarou laughs at the dumb face Yamaguchi does. “Is that a Karasuno volleyball club reunion over there?”

Yamaguchi doesn’t seem to hear what was just said and instead runs over to the far side of their table, this time making sure that their merry band of crows are included in the screen. “ _Hey guys, say hi!_ ”

“ _Hi!_ ” the rest of them chorus. Hinata jumps, the coach raises his mug, and Kei refuses to say hi or even move from being doubled over the table but manages to tilt his head and look straight at the screen.

Koutarou laughs and points, “So either Tsukishima’s had a lot to drink or he’s embarrassed.”

“Why is Kei slumped?” Tetsurou says, figuring Yamaguchi wouldn’t have heard Koutarou’s comment from that distance.

Kei straightens up somewhat but still looks sullen, elbow on the table and fist againt his cheek. “ _Because these people are embarrassing, that’s why_ ,” he explains.

Yamaguchi counters, “ _Nah, he’s just had one too many beers! How do you think I’m able to steal his phone and call you?_ ” His grin is way too big, uncharacteristic of a normally shy guy like him (but Tetsurou supposes alcohol does give way to people’s true characters).

Kei tuts and mutters something that Tetsurou doesn’t catch.

“What _’_ s that again?”

Kei looks away. Even from that unstable video, Tetsurou could clearly see his flush deepening, most probably not because of the alcohol. “ _He and Hinata have been annoying me to call you,_ ” he says after a deep sigh, like he’s physically pained to get that out. “ _Next time, you need to come here too so I don’t have to endure their idiotic questions on my own._ ”

“ _Whatever, Tsukki!_ ” Yamaguchi cuts in, similarly hogging the screen with half his face, before turning back with a sly grin. “ _Just say you miss him already!_ ”

“ _Tsukki misses you!_ ” Hinata pipes from behind and Yamaguchi moves just in time for Tetsurou to see Kei slapping them at the back of their heads.

“ _Give that back already,_ ” Kei hisses, snatching the phone and focusing the video on his face instead, laughter filtering in the background. He fixes his glasses on his nose and Tetsurou really, _really_ wishes he’d offered to tag along with him. “ _Sorry about that. You have fun with Bokuto-san and Akaashi-san, okay?_ ”

“Of course, you too. Take care on your way home.”

“ _Mm_ ,” Kei nods, the corners of his mouth quirking just so. “ _Bye._ ”

The video call ends and Tetsurou lets out a small sigh. Looking up, he finds Koutarou with punchable grin, mouthing W _hipped_. Keiji doesn _’_ t say anything, but his lips are hidden behind his fingers, regarding him with an equally annoying stare.

“Shut your mouth, Koutarou.”


End file.
